This is my absolute favorite Ethiopian tradition (so far). If you visit Ethiopia, you will find a wide range of how they prepare their coffee. With an Italian influence, coffee differs from what we have in Canada. For example, a macchiato is coffee with milk, a cappuccino is coffee with cocoa, and black coffee is usually served with A LOT of sugar. However, they are all delicious and my coffee addiction has not decreased at all on this trip, most likely the opposite.
Ethiopians take immense pride in their coffee. So much that during special occasions, they prepare coffee with a special ceremony. This is usually prepared by a woman who wears a traditional white dress and scarf that often has bright colors at the ends. She will burn incense while roasting the coffee beans over coal and poured from a gebena into cute little cups. Occasionally, popcorn is served as well. This ceremony is not only beautiful to watch but the smell of the incense and the beans roasting is heavenly. The taste of the coffee, or “buna” in Amharic, is just as lovely.
When we first arrived at the ATTSVE office in Addis Ababa, they welcomed us with gebena buna and popcorn. It was a very warm welcome as we sat and drank coffee while introducing ourselves. I am very happy to be here working with the ATTSVE office and all of their friendly members.
Maddie Empey
ATTSVE Intern 2018
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